Five Reasons Why LeBron James Will Stay in Miami

Steve Mitchell- USA Today Sports

The Miami Heat are coming off one of their more impressive wins of the season, a 113-101 shellacking of the San Antonio Spurs. Although the Spurs were short-handed, missing three of their five starters (Danny Green, Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard), the game was relatively close until the third quarter when both Chris Bosh and LeBron James took over, outscoring the Spurs in the third quarter, 33-21.

LeBron James has had his work cut out for him recently with the continued absence of Dwyane Wade. James is averaging just 26 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season. All of these statistics are under his career averages, but what has made this season so truly unique for the reigning MVP is how efficiently he is shooting the ball. James is shooting 58 percent from the field, a 1.5 percent jump from last season. The decrease in average minutes per game is a big reason why many of his numbers are down, but because of how efficiently he is playing most will forget that fact. James is constantly making adjustments to his game due to what the team's overall needs are as a unit. Those are just some of the intangibles that have James right in the thick of winning his fifth MVP award.

James will be a potential free agent this summer, and many teams have already expressed interest in courting him away from Miami. There are many valid arguments as to why James should flee Miami, but at the end of the day, staying in South Florida is by far his best option if he wants to continue winning championships. Here are five reasons why LeBron James will stay in Miami.

Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for RantSports.com.
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5. The Weather Is Wonderful in Miami

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LeBron James was subjected to playing in the brutal cold of Cleveland, Ohio for seven years of his career. After signing a four-year contract with the Miami Heat, James was finally able to enjoy South Florida’s paradise-like weather for long stretches of the year. What makes you think James would ever want to subject himself to the extreme cold weather again when he has a tropical paradise he could be living in? Most of the teams attempting to court James reside in the northern part of the country where weather can be extremely cold. Good luck convincing James to accept that again.

4. Pat Riley Is Still Running the Show

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Erik Spoelstra may still be the head coach, but everyone knows that Pat Riley is the puppet master. With Riley behind the wheel, anything is possible. Riley was able to pull off one of the biggest free-agency coups in recent memory by signing of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Riley has the ability to convince other players to join a potential dynasty team for little to nothing in terms of contract pay. A simple glance at Riley’s multiple championship rings was all it took to convince James to flee Cleveland in order to play for Riley and the Miami Heat. It will be the same situation this summer. Riley will convince James and the rest of the Big Three to take slight pay cuts in order to sign higher end free agents, keeping Miami in contention for a title for years to come. Look for Miami to be huge players in this summer’s free agency.

3. Chris Bosh Is Truly Elite

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With Dwyane Wade's extended absence, Chris Bosh has stepped in to fill the scoring void of the decorated shooting guard. Bosh has done a magnificent job. Over the course of his last seven games, Bosh is shooting 64 percent from the field and averaging 24 points, 6.5 rebounds and one block. These are elite player-like numbers, and it proves that Bosh can handle the workload even in the face of losing one of their best players (Wade) for a considerable amount of time. One of the biggest arguments for LeBron James leaving Miami this summer is how James will have no help from his two supporting cast members down the road (due to injuries, age, etc.), but because of how well Bosh has been playing in Wade’s absence, James has to be taking notice of the lanky center's offensive rise. This will be a major reason why LeBron will decide to stay in Miami for the foreseeable future.

2. The System Runs Through LeBron James

Steve Mitchell- USA Today Sports

The Miami Heat's offensive system is constantly changing in part because of how deep this team is and how flexible players are in terms of position. LeBron James is the focal point for all of this. James can not only guard positions 1-5, but he can also play positions 1-5 based on who is on the floor with him at any given time. James will have a hard time finding that type of roster flexibility anywhere else in the league. Most teams in the NBA still utilize a typical point guard/center dominated lineup, whereas the Heat have custom fit offensive schemes to James’ game and the position he could be playing while out on the floor. Again, no team in the league can offer that kind of flexibility. James would be a fool to not realize this.

1. Lack of Collective Talent Around the League

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Since LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat almost four years ago, rumors have been flying about pertaining to where James’ next free agency destination would be. Over the course of four years, only a few teams have popped up as having realistic financial interest in acquiring James in the offseason. Granted, every team in the league would be foolish not to at least give James a hard look come summer, but few teams have the cap space and brand name to make James even remotely consider leaving Miami.

The select teams are as follows (outside of Miami or course): Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s it folks. So, with respect to those individual franchises, no team comes close to being able to offer what Miami will be able to this summer. Chicago’s future is shaky with the constantly injured Derrick Rose; New York is still one of the worst teams in the East with no foreseeable roster improvement in the near future (plus Carmelo Anthony is already thinking of fleeing); the Lakers are in shambles (2nd worst team in the league), and Cleveland has had the worst winning percentage in the league since James left back in 2010. Any of those teams seem appealing? Not at all. Miami offers the chance to still play with two players in the top 20 and a chance to again have one of the deepest rosters in the league (depending on how much of a pay cut the Big Three takes). There is no question about it; LeBron will remain in Miami.